Come on, Mabase!
by Intertiatic
Summary: Nothing ever changes in this town. Everything’s always the same. Except me.
1. Come on, Naota!

"_**Come on, Naota!"**_

**Chapter l  
**

"Sayonara, Naota-Kun."

With that the last of my sanity walked out the door. Mamimi was the only thing I had actually had going before _she_ came. I had a reason to care about her, Tasuku had asked me to take care of her and that was reason enough to. I eventually became accustomed to her, a little too much I guess. Hell, I tried to woo her with a fancy dinner, but I guess by then I had changed far too much for her and she left me. It wasn't my fault; there was a disruption, an unwanted guest into our lives. This disruption was what changed me…it was _her_ fault…_She_ made me swing the bat.

* * *

Nothing ever changes in this town; everything's always the same…Except me.

* * *

I couldn't sleep. I'd been having this weird dream lately.

It was back then, years ago, and I was still 12. I was back on that roof holding that guitar…the Gibson Flying V and I was holding it like a bat. There was fear in my eyes and I was looking around for _her _but I couldn't see anything.. My head felt empty, and it probably was. The sky was turning weird colors, like a horrible rainbow signaling impending doom and I was alone.. I heard something coming at me and I looked up – a hand, a pitch…a sinker. I readied myself, "Here it comes", I thought. I didn't swing the bat. There was a huge explosion and then…nothing.

That's when I woke up. I looked around and glanced at the clock, 6:30 AM; still early, I usually woke up at 7:30 even if I had school that day, which I did today and it started at 8:00. It was still dark out, but I got up anyway. The bunk had been gone for 2 years now. I just couldn't bear sleeping in it anymore so I asked my dad to sell it. He didn't and gave it to Canti instead, can robots even sleep? I guess he just still thinks that my brother's still coming back. He isn't. Tasuku told me himself in a letter he sent a year ago, he got married with that "Blonde gal" and was planning on starting a family over in America. I haven't told my dad. I don't think I could.

My room was a mess, but I couldn't be bothered to clean it. Old issues of "Come on, Mabase" – the community zine my dad started - littered the floor, and oddly enough, the zine was still going strong even after all these years. The shutters were drawn and I could see the moon begin to sink into the horizon, where _she_ flew off into that day in…No, she's gone and I can't think about her anymore. I closed the shutters and reclined into the darkness that crept over my room. When I heard a low sounding "_thuuung_" somewhere in the corner; I knew immediately what it was. It was the Rickenbacker 4003, the blue bass _she_ had left behind.

I reached over to the corner that had become its home and picked it up. It still looked new, even after all the damage it had inflicted onto people and robots. I laughed as I remembered how all I ever saw its previous owner do with it was strum the first string repeatedly or strike me with it repeatedly. I rolled my chair over to me and began to strum the first string. I lost myself for a while and relived the past.

When I finally woke from my nostalgic trance it was because of my dad yelling out at me, "Naota-kun! Breakfast! Your favorite, eggs!" I wasn't hungry so I didn't go down. I continued to strum the string but couldn't help glancing over at the clock first: 7:40 am. If I was late for school Er – Ninamori would kill me. I don't really want to go to school. I think it's a nuisance, an unnecessary necessity, but that doesn't mean I can just quit. As much as I'd like to, Er – Ninamori would kill me.

"Naota!"

Speak of the devil, she'd been checking up on me lately, especially since we just started high school. Shinden High School, the very same high school Mamimi had once attended, had once been bullied in, and had dropped out of years before. Who would have guessed it, huh?

Another shout…

"NAOTA!"

I looked towards the door and prepared myself for the inevitable argument we had every time she came over. I was going to throw out the usual line I gave her every time she let herself in – "What are you doing in my house? Leave me alone" – but I couldn't even open my mouth. She wasn't wearing her usual clothes, not her usual clothes at all.

I tried to not let my eyes make it look like I was checking out her getup because she'd probably think me a pervert – which I wasn't -, but those clothes just wouldn't let me not look at her. That white scarf, that red vest, those tight black pants, those golden gloves, and those white boots! Those were Haruko's; there was no doubt in my mind about that.

"Where'd you get those clothes?"

She just smirked at me. One arm on her hip, the usual Ninamori posture, but I couldn't help feeling something was different about her, way different. By now I had already put the blue Rickenbacker 4003 back in its usual corner and was standing about 5 feet away from where Ninamori was standing. I was going to say something to break the awkward silence that was now hanging in the air, but she spoke first, "Hey, Takkun, did you miss me?" That wasn't her usual _voice_ either. What was going on?

By the time I had realized whose voice was coming out of Eri Ninamori's mouth; Ninamori was holding _her _– **_my_** Rickenbacker and strumming the first string. "Hey, let go off that, Eri." She had her head down and her pink hair was covering her head…her PINK HAIR?

"Haruko…?" That was all I could muster, was it just my imagination playing tricks on me? I didn't know, but something was definitely going on.

She looked up at me and answered my question, this person wasn't Ninamori; she was Haruhara Haruko. I could feel the tears begin to build up in my eyes, but I held them back as best as I could. She was smiling but her Golden wildcat eyes held traces of tears in their corners. ""W-what are you doing back? Why didn't you take me with you?" As much as I had forced myself to try and not ask her that, it just slipped out on its own. I forced myself to her but the distance seemed to grow between us. "I guess I still need your head, Takkun." She stood up. The gap that was between us before had suddenly condensed as she was right on top of me, Rickenbacker in hand.

"I missed ya, kid."

I was about to reply when I saw an incredibly fast, blue blur coming straight towards my head and I was sent flying back towards the wall, I had missed that feeling. The feeling of Haruko's painfully gentle hand holding a blunt object and hitting my head with it. I was about to get up and ask why she had hit me, but once again she was on top of me, striking my head. She was crying now, I could see that, but she wouldn't stop. When she finally did stop I could feel the blood begin to drop from my brow, I could barely even see anymore my vision was blurred from the tears of pain I had shed while she was hitting me. "See ya around, Takkun," and she was gone and I blacked out.

* * *

I could smell cigarette smoke and that was what had roused me from my sleep. I wondered if it was all just a dream, had Haruko really come back and then proceeded to strike me 'til I blacked out from the pain? I touched my forehead and searing pain coursed through my body, guess that answered my question. My vision was still blurry from the sleep; but I could see it was still daylight, how long had I been out?

"You've been out for three days, Naota-kun."

Said a voice, as if reading my mind, who's voice? I rubbed my eyes and saw for my self.

"M-mamimi?"

"Click!"

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own FLCL/Furi Kuri/ Fooly Cooly/Whatever you want to call it. If I did, I'd have Haruko and Mamimi locked in my basement (if I had one of those). D:  
Author's excuses: Yeah, this is my first time actually writing in first-person view, so please excuse that. 


	2. Come on, Mamimi!

"**_Come on, Mamimi!"_**

**Chapter II**

"Sayonara, Naota-Kun."

That's what I said when I decided to leave Mabase. I walked out on everything I didn't have going for me - Sameji Mamimi -, I walked out on my non-existent friends, I walked out on the people who bullied me, I walked out on the parents who resented me, I walked out on the school which I despised, and I walked out on the Takkun who actually swung the bat. Sometimes I think to myself that maybe I should go back and visit when life gets rough, but then I remember the life I had _there_ and force it out of my mind. I never want to go back to that life; after all, "_Never knows best."

* * *

_

Everything's changed and nothing ever stays the same in my new life, but sometimes I wish they had; Sometimes.

* * *

The train rides in America always take forever, but the scenic route is always the prettiest. So I took it. I could have taken a plane and gotten to L.A. five hours ago, but I needed to clear my head and the view of the countryside kind of helped me do just that. 

My job in the U.S. has been nothing, if not shear photographic bliss! But my last assignment was nothing but heartache and headache. I rhymed. Normally, I'd giggle at that, but I haven't been able to do anything _like me_ since I took those pictures…

* * *

I work at a magazine now; it's called, "Buzz!" - One of those "hip-teen" magazines that was supposed to be really big in the U.S., but I really didn't care as long as I got paid for my pictures. I had made a few friends by then as well and one of them even let me stay with her, as long as I paid half the rent. 

L.A. was really different from Mabase, nothing ever slowed down here. It was one big mouse-race after another here, but I had gotten used to it. I had just moved into a new little office thingy and was finishing putting the final "Mamimi touches" on it. I just needed a place to put the picture that had gotten me this job, the picture of Tak – Naota-kun holding Haru-san's blue guitar as he watched her leave on that day; the day I lost all my Takkuns. I put it on my desk, it just seemed right to put it there.

That's when the office door burst open and that's when my only remaining picture of Naota fell on the floor and broke. I nearly cried when it happened because I realized Takkun was in the past and always will be. It was a good thing that my boss, the "ultra-hip" – even though he really was just a balding middle-aged man with highlights – Robert Tate interrupted my thoughts.

"Samejima! I've got a new assignment for you, up for it?"

I had learned some English by then and could understand him perfectly. I nodded. I didn't dare speak because my accent sticks out like a sore thumb and makes me look dumb. At least, I think it does. I guess it's kind of silly, but America's made me a bit self-conscious. It's probably just the L.A. atmosphere or something.

"Good! We need you to take some pictures of a famous Baseball star and his new family over in New York. Here are your tickets, you leave tomorrow, and here's the guy's address. We'll have another job for you when you get back."

When he left I looked at the tickets and smiled, I had always wanted to go to New York City and this was the perfect chance! I couldn't wait until then.

That night I headed straight home from work. My roommate was busy watching some anime on her computer and whining how her boyfriend didn't appreciate how good it was. It's funny, she watches more anime than I ever did and I'm Japanese! I couldn't help but giggle a bit at the thought and that was when she finally gave notice to my existence. "Hey, Mamimi, what's the rush? Want to go out for pizza?" The offer was tempting, pizza was my new favorite food, but I needed to get ready. "No, got to pack." I replied in English, embarrassing accent and all. She used to tease me a lot about it, but eventually got over it, "Ok, got another job, I take it?" I nodded and went to my room.

I was supposed to take 5 pictures of this "famous Baseball star and his new family", including one cover shot. So I didn't pack a lot of clothes, three shirts, four pairs of jeans, and the other stuff which make up one's wardrobe. I didn't know what kind of pictures I was supposed to be taking, so I just packed my favorite camera – my Mamiya 6/6MF – and some of my favorite lenses.

I couldn't sleep that night; I had been having a weird dream:

It was back then, years ago, before I had walked out on everything I once knew and I was sitting on Canti-Sama's shoulders. I was praising and welcoming the Lord of Terror. Then, I saw a red light on the iron, it was Takkun and Haru-san, she was doing something to him and I couldn't help but blush when it was over. She had pulled something from his head, a really cool guitar, and had left him alone. A big ball thing was coming straight at him and he was alone, holding the guitar like a bat. Was he going to swing? The sky was turning into a pretty rainbow of trippy colors and the ball was coming right at him. He didn't swing. There was an explosion…then nothing…nothing at all.

* * *

On the plane to New York I couldn't wait to get a couple of shots, for myself, of the skyscrapers. I had been to Tokyo once and the giant buildings there were amazing but it was too crowded for tourism. Plus, my parents didn't want me wasting film on "stupid buildings". So finally Mamimi is getting her chance to take pictures of those "stupid buildings" she always wanted to take pictures of! After she gets her job done, that is. 

The plane ride to New York had been pleasant enough, kind of boring though and there was no in-flight movie so I had to entertain myself. When we finally arrived at the airport, I couldn't pronounce its name; I made sure I was the first one off the plane. I was in New York City, one of the biggest and best cities in the world, I couldn't wait to get finished with my assignment and have some "Mamimi time."

There was a guy at the Airport's exit holding up a sign that said "Samejima" who immediately went to my side and helped with my bag. He reminded me a bit of Takkun, appearance-wise; I wondered if that's how he looked like now?

"Um, Ms. Samejima, I'm Jesse Evers, you can call me Jesse. I was told to take you to your hotel, so please get it."

He opened the door to a black convertible and I got in, "Thanks." I said and that was the end of whatever conversation I would have had with this guy. I took out my pack of cigarettes and knocked on the glass window separating the passenger and driver. He looked back and nodded, so I lit up a smoke. I still hadn't gotten over the habit of marking my cigs and this one said, "Never knew best." I had tried to quit smoking a while back – everyone kept telling me it was just giving me a slow death – but I couldn't stop, old habits die hard, y'know?

We arrived at the hotel – which was apparently in the middle of the city, PERFECT! – And the guy…Jesse told me that this famous Baseball guy lived in a loft a few blocks from the hotel. I figured I might as well get it over with later tonight. I thanked the guy and went up to my room. It was…but way too big for my tastes, but it was only temporary and I guess even Mamimi needs to treat herself to something nice sometimes too.

I got my stuff ready and went outside. New York City was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, but I found the building just find. This guy was on the last floor, so the elevator ride took a while, but it was fun. The elevator was see-through so I took some pictures of the buildings as I went up; they even played some cute elevator music.

I finally got to the place and knocked on the door, a pretty blonde lady answered it, "Hello! How may I help you?" I showed her my camera and a knowing look came on her face, "Oooh! You must be from BuZz! Please, come in, my husband will be here shortly." The place was huge! The walls were lined with tasteful paintings, the furniture looked brand new, and the TV was huge! Not only that, but there was a bunch of manga stacked next to it which was almost the size, I didn't take the blonde gal to be much of a manga-fan, so I guess it was the husbands. That made me laugh, was this famous baseball hero some sort of fan-boy or something? I couldn't wait to see who this guy was. I now regret thinking that.

"Honey, she's in here, the photographer from "BuZz!" is here I'll bring the baby, okay?"

"Okay, sure, babe."

I stood up and was ready to shake this guy's hand, "Hi. My name is Samejima Mamimi, pleased to meet you, Mr…" It was him, my not-so-ex ex, the guy who I yelled to save me, but never came. "Tasuku-Sempai!" His face looked nervous and confused; I think he was trying to think of what to say. There was an awkward silence between us that was broken by a babies' cry. "Ooh, you've met, great! I don't think we've had the pleasure of a formal introduction though, my name's Rachel, Rachel Nandaba. This here is little Kamon." She pointed to the baby, "And your name is…?"

"Mamimi…" Tasuku-Sempai said before I could answer.

She looked a bit confused at this…and a bit worried, "Do you two know each other?" I didn't want her to be uncomfortable so I answered by saying, "We are old friends." This relaxed her a little bit, I guess because that worried look just disappeared from her face completely. "Really, that's great! This should make everyone a bit more comfortable then, huh?" She didn't know how wrong she was.

I had already taken the first two shots by the time dinner rolled around; I thought they had come out alright, considering how uncomfortable Tasuku-Sempai looked. The baby started crying and Rachel excused herself to change the baby. That was when the most uncomfortable conversation I've ever had started:

_"'Hey, Mamimi, how've you been?'"_

_"'Fine.'"_

_"'How long have you been in the U.S.?'"_

_"'A few years now, I'm living in Los Angeles.'"_

_"'Really, sounds like fun…'"_

_"'It is.'"_

_"'How's Naota? Keeping in touch?'"_

_"'Not recently.'"_

_"'Oh.'"_

_"'Look, Mamimi, I'm sorry about what happened between us. I didn't mean to just run off and leave you there with Naota. I told him to take care of you, did he?'"_

_"'Yeah, he took care of Mamimi just fine.'"_

_"'That's good to hear.'"_

_"'You're married now, huh? Kids, too.'"_

_"'Yeah…'"_

_"'Wouldn't it have been easier to dump me to my face then to just let me find out own, huh, Sempai?'"_

_"'Look I'm sorry that happened, I didn't mean to hurt you…'"_

_"'You didn't, you just never rescued me.'"_

_"'What?'"_

That was that. Before I could tell him about how everything went downhill for me a few years ago, his wife was back, carrying _their _baby. This baby was the only thing preventing me from ever getting back together with Tasuku-Sempai. They had invited me to dinner, but I refused, saying that I had already eaten. When they finished I took the remaining shots and left. The last thing I said to Tasuku-Sempai was " 'Have a nice life.' " And that was that.

_I decided I couldn't stay in New York City anymore and took the first train back to L.A._

When I got back to L.A. two days later I couldn't help but go straight to the office for my next assignment. I needed to clear my head and forget this experience.

When I arrived at the office I went straight to my boss and asked for my next assignment. "Finished already? You work quick, Samejima, I'll give you that. Let's just hope your shots aren't sloppy or someone else will have to go over and retake those shots." I handed over my camera to him and he smiled, taking out another pair of plane tickets. "We're doing a full article on Tasuku Nandaba and his life, so we need some shots of the place he grew up in. We're sending you to Japan, if I'm not mistaken your hometown, Mabase, Japan. You leave again tomorrow; we need these pictures by next Thursday. Ok?"

I grabbed the tickets and ran out of the room and burst into my office. The picture was still on the floor, the last picture of Takkun I ever took. No, not Takkun, Naota-kun…I'd finally be able to see him again after all these years. I'd finally have to go back, Mamimi's new life was making her go.

* * *

Disclaimer: Still don't own the rights to FLCL, Gainax's security is tight. 

A/N: I'll never get Mamimi's personality right, sue me. D:


	3. Interlude!

"**_Interlude!"_**

**Chapter lll**

Mamimi isn't going to lie, Mamimi was nervous. How much had Mabase changed since I had last been there? Did Ta, no not Takkun, Naota-kun, did Naota-kun still remember me? Was Canti-sama still there? Did Shigekuni still hate me?

….

I told myself I would never go back. I told myself, "_Never knows best_", I guess I was wrong.

….

I was scared about going back, not just a little bit either, a whole lot. A lot more than when I left Mabase and went to a totally new country, going back after I left everything behind was making me sick. All these thoughts were going through Mamimi's head as she was on the plane. It was shorter than I had expected because the next thing I knew the captain was telling us to buckle up as we're about to land. I did as I was told, but I didn't want to. Couldn't the pilot just circle the world another couple of times before we landed?

I guess not, because before I knew it we hand already landed in Mabase's airport. "Cantido-sama, have mercy," I muttered under my breath and exited the plane. Maybe I wouldn't have to see anyone from before, Mr. Tate never did specify what I had to take pictures of; it just had to relate to Tasuku-sempai's early life. Maybe I wouldn't have to see Naota-kun at all. That brought up my hopes a lot, but I still felt pretty awful. The faster I finish this job, the faster I can be back home eating pizza.

…

There was a mix-up at the airport with my bags, so I had to stay there for a few hours waiting for my bags. Which had apparently been mixed up with some other plane and gone to Tokyo, and I had to admit, I was a bit grateful. Maybe Cantido-sama had heard my pleas after all. When the guard finally came to me with my bags he apologized and said something about how I could take my camera and its equipment with me when I returned home. Home, hehe, L.A. is my home now and Mabase is just a small city I'm visiting. That relaxed me a bit more. I thanked the guy, putting on my best fake smile and left the airport with my backpack and bags.

I had no idea where to go from there, I didn't even know if I had any reservations at a hotel here. Looking back at it, maybe running out of my boss' office wasn't the best idea. I sighed. Couldn't do anything about it now, I'd just need to find a place to stay. With that in mind I went into town looking for a place to stay.

…

These past couple of years in L.A. totally made me forget where everything in this town was. I had to ask to ask for directions twice, and I still ended up getting lost. Well, not really, I knew where I was, but I hadn't meant to get there.

I recognized the place as soon as I got there. It looked exactly the same as when Takkun and I used to hang out there. The river under the bridge...The River was as blue and depressing as ever, and for a moment, I thought I saw a shoe floating down it, but that was silly. I couldn't help myself, I ran straight to the spot I used to take my sexual frustrations out on Takkun in. Whenever he asked me why I did it, I would just say I would "overflow", and he bought it, but looking back on it, maybe it was true. After all, the day Canti-sama came out of Takkun's head I had said I was overflowing and something amazing did happen.

I couldn't believe how unchanged this place was. Everything was exactly as it was years ago. For a moment I was back in the past holding the bat swinging away at nothing with Takkun doing his homework on the grass. I felt something in the corners of my eyes then, I don't know when I had started, but I was crying. Mamimi was crying! I lit up a cigarette and I lost myself in my memories…

…

Looking back on my final months in Mabase, it seems to surreal, did it really happen? Then I remembered how amazing Takkun had become, and realized it had, it was all because of _her_…all because of Haru-san. I was just there pushing Takkun away and more towards Haru-san. Maybe it wasn't Haru-san's fault that Takkun became so amazing, maybe it was my fault. Maybe I was the reason he left me in the rain that day without ever looking back. I couldn't help but cry.

…

I don't know how long I had been there but it was dark out already and my cigarette had become nothing but ash. It must have been a while. My face was stiff and I could taste the dried salt of my tears on my lips. I must have had some cry, huh? I was getting up and dusting myself off when I saw a girl looking at me with a bag of groceries in their hand. She was wearing a brown jacket and had her hair down, so I couldn't really see her that well. I had to move closer to see who it was. That's when I saw it was that purple-haired girl that always hung out with Takkun. She must have recognized me too because the look on her face was one of recognition and shock; she dropped the bag and stared straight at me.

"HEY! You're Samejima, right? You're the girl who was always hanging around Naota and stuff?"

She said it with a look of resent in her eyes; she probably didn't like me much. I nodded to her and said, "I'm Mamimi. You are?" I knew who she wasn't but I didn't know her name. Tak – Naota, he's Naota-kun now, stop calling him "Takkun", Mamimi! Naota-kun was the only grade-school I hung out with at the time.

"Ninamori Eri, one of Naota's classmates. I was just heading over to his place; he was in an accident or something." She looked worried when she said "accident", was it bad? Was Naota-kun hurt really bad? I ran up to where she was standing; by now she was picking up some of the stuff that fell out of her bag. I helped her. She had grown up to be quite pretty, I noticed, was she going out with Naota-kun now? She always seemed kind of interested. I was going to ask but decided I shouldn't. It'd be kind of awkward. Instead I asked, "What happened to Naota-kun?" She looked thoughtful for a second, "I'm not sure, but yesterday I found him knocked out against his wall, his forehead was bleeding. He still hasn't woken up."

…

That sounded bad. I had left my bags under the bridge, but it didn't matter, I had my camera in my backpack anyways. I ran towards Naota-kun's house as fast as I could, leaving Ninamori behind; I had forgotten where everything in this town was, but for some reason I knew exactly how to get to Naota-kun's house. I reached the house in 15 minutes flat and was amazed at how much it looked like it had when I had left. In this town, nothing seemed to change, did it?

Canti-sama was outside with a broom. I would normally have gone up to him and given him a great big hug, but I resisted the temptation and rushed into the house. There was a big "?" on Canti-sama's screen as I rushed past him.

I could hear Shigekuni and Kamon having an argument in the kitchen, but I ignored them and ran up to Naota-kun's room. When I got there I was surprised, the room looked a lot different than the last time I had gone in. The room was a huge mess; some magazines and stuff were spread out all over the floor. It wasn't at all like it was before. Then I noticed he had gotten rid of the bunk-beds! It probably had something to do with Haru-san. When I saw him I started to cry again, jeez, Mamimi was sure crying a lot these days. He had gotten taller, his hair was a little longer than before, but he was still the same Naota, I was sure of that.

He even had one of those bandages on his head, just like old times.

I lit up a cigarette and stayed by his side, I wonder what he'd think we he woke up and saw me…

…

The next day I was still there with him, I don't think I slept much that night either, but it didn't matter. I lit up another cigarette. That's when I noticed he was waking up. He was waking up! Mamimi was very happy and very relieved. He hadn't seen me yet and was touching his forehead, it must've hurt because he shuddered a little.

"You've been out for three days, Naota-kun."

That was all I could say. It would have been pointless to say more. He was rubbing his eyes now, guess he still didn't know who had just talked, I decided to let him figure it out by himself.

"M-mamimi?"

"Click!"


	4. What!

**Chapter IV**

"When did you get back?"

That wasn't what I wanted to ask, inside of me, there was one question just dying to escape my lips. "Why did you come back?"

I rubbed my eyes and waited for an answer. Now that I got a good look at her I realized that aside from her clothes, she looked exactly as she had when she left; these years had been pretty damn good to her. The smoke from her cigar was making my throat dry, so I coughed. She must've gotten the hint because she immediately put it out; she still hadn't answered my question. I asked her again, "When did you get back?"

This time, however, she answered, "A couple of hours ago, why? Didn't 'cha miss me, Chief?" She stressed that "Chief" with a smile and I sighed. Of course I had missed her, she had been the only thing I had had going before and after Haruko left. I couldn't say that, though, it'd be kind of awkward. I may not have been long in this world but I knew that much. I answered, "Yeah, of course. What's the occasion?"

"Here on work-related stuff, y'know?"

"Ooh."

"Yeah, but I figured I'd pay ya a visit before I started. (Plus, I gotta take a few good pictures of this place.)" She added as an aside.

There was a silence that fell between us for a couple of seconds. I decided to break it by asking, "Where are you staying, anyhow?" She looked kind of embarrassed for a second and answered, "I kind of don't know. I ran out of my boss' office before he told me." She stuck out her tongue and conked herself on the head. I laughed. I couldn't let her stay on the streets, could I? I doubted my dad and grandpa would mind…if I didn't tell them right away.

"You could always stay here, y'know?"

This must've caught her by surprise because she just looked at me funny. She probably thought this wasn't like me and she was right. I wouldn't normally do this for anyone, and the last time a girl stayed over – not counting Haruko – it had been pretty uncomfortable.

Mamimi smiled and gave a big "O.K" sign to me.

"You can sleep on my bed; I'll take the couch, ok?"

She shook her head and said, "Nah, I'll sleep on the floor. I don't think I could bear to kick you on the coach, I'll just sleep on the floor, 'kay?" That settled that.

…

The next day I woke up and found Mamimi wasn't in the futon I had lent her. I quickly got up and dressed and headed downstairs. Sure enough, my dad was interrogating Mamimi, asking her question like, "What did you do with my son last night, huh?" or "Did you come back just for a little drilling from Nao?" The usual things a pervert of a father would normally ask a girl who stayed the night in his son's room. Mamimi just looked amused and was stifling back giggling.

"Hey, dad, what's for breakfast?"

I had to get the topic off of Mamimi sleeping in my room. My dad looked up to where I was and smirked, "Nao! Good morning! You had a good night's "sleep," I take it?" He was smiling a very twisted smile and it annoyed me. I went downstairs and grabbed Mamimi by the arm, "We're eating out, ok?" We ran out of the house and toward the nearest restaurant.

By some cruel twist of fate the first restaurant we found was "Café Bleu." I couldn't help but curse my horrible luck. This was the exact same place I had taken Mamimi before the gun-robot had come out of my head. I had tried to woo her – had even tried to kiss her, but nothing she just refused my advancements. After that incident I tended to avoid this place anyway I could, it brought back embarrassing memories. I hoped she didn't think I wanted a repeat of that incident. I looked at her; she had a sheepish grin on her face. "Um, want to go to the restaurant down the road?" I asked. She just grabbed my arm and dragged me into to the Café.

The inside of the place turned out to be a lot more dull than the flashy purple sign outside made it seem. It was just a simple red and blue color-scheme with a single big chandelier in the middle of the room, not very impressive if you ask me. We got a table at the far end of the room and the waiter handed us the menus. Mamimi was avoiding my gaze and she seemed to want me to notice she was doing so. It was unnerving, why did she drag me into this place and the suddenly ignore me?

"This place doesn't seem too bad, huh, Takkun?"

"N-no, the interior could be better, kind of boring."

She dropped the menu to the table and smiled, there were glints of water in her eyes. Now what?

"Brings back memories," she said, "doesn't it, T-takkun?"

She called me "Takkun". After all these years I finally hear someone use that nickname for me. I had told her not to call me that on that day years ago that I allowed myself to be eaten by Canti just so I could save her. It was funny, I was the one who was supposed to save her and yet she was calling out for my brother. That's when I made the connection, "Tasuku" – "Takkun"; I was just a replacement for my brother. That was all I had been to her and that's why I had ignored her. She hadn't left me – I had left her. I had left her! I laughed out loud causing everyone in the restaurant to look at me.

"Sure does," I finally said, calming down a bit. We finished our meal in almost total silence, except for when we wanted something from the waiter. I paid the bill – which had actually been less than I imagined – and we left. I decided that we needed to have a good talk and catch up so I led us to the bridge we used to hang out under.

When we finally reached that little spot near the river I sat down and made myself comfortable. Truthfully, I hadn't been to that spot in ages. Only once or twice since Mamimi had left and that was only because Eri had dragged me there. She had insisted I "make peace with my demons," whatever that meant. Anyways, now was not the time to be thinking of such things. I had to ask Mamimi what I had dragged us here to find out.

"Why did you call me Takkun? I'm not my brother…I told you never to call me that again, remember?"

Mamimi sat down beside me, her hands clutching her knees and said, "Mamimi never said that you were your brother, did she? I'll admit, you were, um…an outlet for me to take some frustrations out on, but you were never a replacement. Ever think that Takkun was just for short? Nao-ta-kun, Takkun," she stressed the "ta" in each word, "you see? It's just for short."

I chuckled. Was it true? Was it really just "for short" like she said? I didn't bother looking into it anymore.

The next couple of hours were sheer bliss, we caught up and she told me about what she had been up to in America. We had just passed the abandoned Medical Mechanica plant when I heard Mamimi say she needed to tell me something important…concerning my brother?

"I saw Tasuku-sempai a couple of days ago. He's got a family and a kid now, Takkun. You're an uncle, a-aren't you happy?" I could see tears forming in her eyes now. So, she had finally found out about my brother and the blonde girl. I hadn't hoped she wouldn't find out, at all. I remembered what had happened last time I mentioned my brother in America and his girlfriend. For her, finding out he gotten married to the girl would be…well, disastrous.

I didn't know what to do. She had her face in her lap and I could hear her crying. I couldn't bear to watch her crying. I went over to console her – I wasn't a kid anymore, this was the "normal" thing to do. I remembered Amarao's words, that crazy bastard.

I was walking towards her when I heard a loud buzzing emitting from the "abandoned" plant. Why was it buzzing now, after all these years? Then that smoke, that white smoke that covered all the cities' exits and told us we weren't allowed to leave. It spread out over the city, going into my lungs and causing my eyes to water. I closed my eyes and reached around for Mamimi. My head began to hurt.

"Naota, your head, there's something coming out of it!" I heard Mamimi scream. I could feel something pushing its way out of my skull. My head felt like it was being squeezed by invisible hands. They were trying to push something out of my head. Then, a pounding, a pounding…I felt light. I opened my eyes and saw something pulling its legs out of my forehead. My bandage fell to the ground in a graceful dance.

I looked up at the thing; it was a robot, no doubt about it. It looked like Canti, but it wasn't. This Canti-like robot was red, with green lines trailing its whole body, and on its screen was…the sign of the Pirate King! What was going on!

"There you are, Atomsk! I finally found ya…hey," a voice yelled, a high, scratchy voice that seemed oddly familiar, "where are you going, you bastard!" In a flash, the robot disappeared and there was only Haruko hovering on a guitar.

I went to where Mamimi was, the smoke still covering the city.

…

Everything's changing way too fast.


	5. I take pictures

**Chapter V **

I take pictures; that's what I do. I take these pictures because I never get what I want, what I need. Anytime I'm happy, it goes away; it's taken away.

I lied to Takkun, the name isn't for short…I need a Takkun in my life; Takkun makes me happy. It doesn't matter who or what Takkun is…I just want to be happy. But Haru-san is going to take Takkun away from me again, I know it. Why? Doesn't she want Mamimi to be happy? Does she hate Mamimi? Should Mamimi hate Haru-san too? Why did she come back just as Mamimi was feeling happy?

I take pictures to keep what I want; I took out my camera and pointed it at Takkun. I couldn't see him, the smoke was too thick, but I could see something moving to me. I pointed my camera at that and I kept clicking and clicking, taking pictures of the Takkun-like figure coming towards me, hoping he wouldn't go away. I want to be happy! Then, I realized, the smoke would probably mess up all my pictures. It would cover Takkun in the pictures, just like it was now. It told me I couldn't keep Takkun. Haru-san was here to take Takkun away because Mamimi wanted Takkun to keep her happy.

Then I figured it out…

As long as Haru-san was here, Mamimi could never be happy.

…

Something had come out of Takkun's head a few moments ago…and disappeared just as quickly as it had come. It was creepy, but it looked a lot like Canti-sama. Yet, I knew it wasn't. This God of the Black Flame looked different, its colors were wrong. It looked like it was scared of something. I guessed it was probably scared of Haru-san, who was floating on her guitar just a couple of feet above me and Takkun.

She looked so scary, yelling at the now-gone Canti-sama-look-alike and floating up there. Her wild, cat-like eyes looked as though she was ready to kill, and that scared me. What was scariest about her, though, was that she looked exactly as she had years ago…19, she had said she was back then, and even though I was sure she was way older, she still looked it. I secretly hoped she would keep yelling at nothing and leave Takkun and me alone. For a while she did. By then, Takkun had already reached me and put his arm around me…He didn't say anything, though; his thoughts must have been on Haru-san at that point.

I had to get out of there. I felt like I was going to..._overflow._

I pushed Takkun away and began to walk away, hoping he wouldn't notice me and continue to stare at Haru-san as she floated up there above us; he did. I kept walking until a familiar, scratchy voice called out to me and I froze dead in my tracks.

"Hey, Sameji, been a while, huh?" Haru-san yelled from way up above.

"Um, yeah…it has" I replied.

She jumped off her guitar and landed in a perfect flip right in front of me. Her guitar was still floating in the air. It looked funny up there all alone, defying all logic, gravity, and all that other stuff that I never bothered to pay attention to in high school when I actually attended it. Despite everything I felt inside, I still managed to giggle at that; Haru-san just looked at me weird.

"What've you," Haru-san began, "been up to, Sameji? Anything fun happen?" She was smiling now, the killer look in her eyes…gone. Just like that. I looked passed Haru-san at Takkun; he was still staring at where Haru-san had been and where her guitar still was. He looked mesmerized by it, and I wondered what was going on in his head right now. It was probably something pretty messy. The smoke seemed to cover everything but our surroundings now.

"No," I started, "nothing too fun. What about you, what've you been up to, Haru-san?"

She made the biggest grin I've ever seen a person - human or otherwise - make. She started laughing uncontrollably and finally answered, "This and that…this and that, y'know?" I didn't know, though, I didn't think I'd ever want to know. I looked back at Takkun, who had finally stopped staring at the floating guitar and was instead looking over at where Haru-san and I were. He started to get up. I wanted to go over there and take him somewhere else, somewhere where this smoke didn't obscure everything in sight…somewhere where Haru-san wasn't. Takkun was coming this way. Damn it!

"Haruko," he yelled, his voice sounding like there was something caught in his throat, "look at me, damn it!"

Haru-san ignored him; she acted almost like he didn't exist. I could see she was trying really hard not to turn around, her face showed that. Takkun kept walking this way; I couldn't do anything. Instead, I lit up a cigarette, adding smoke to the smoke…hoping that it would be enough to blind Takkun so he wouldn't reach us…too late.

"Haruko!"

She didn't answer him.

He was right next to her now, ignoring me.

He was shaking her now, yelling things like "where did you go?" And "was Atomsk's power really that important?" Finally I could see tears forming in his eyes; his shakes began to become more weak until finally he stopped altogether.

"Hey," Haru-san started weakly, it was almost a whisper, "how's it goin', Takkun?"

"Don't treat me like a kid, Haruko! I'm not one anymore!"

Takkun wasn't crying anymore, he looked just like Haru-san had when she was up in the sky yelling at the robot that came out of Takkun's head. He was starting to scare me. I tried to say something, but couldn't. It was almost like something was trying to make sure I didn't interrupt. I just hunched down, cigarette in hand, and leaned against the iron-shaped factories' wall.

"You've grown, Takkun."

"No really? It's been years since you left! It's only natural…unlike you."

"How are Kamon and the old guy?"

"Answer my questions, damn it! Please…"

"I want to go see if the place is still the same."

"What?"

"You still got the bunks, Takkun? I'm going to be here a while. Hey, Sameji, come on, let's go, okay?"

Haru-san whistled and her guitar flew right to her. Takkun was still in a daze, and he was sweating really badly. I just stood up and followed Haru-san…it seemed like my body had a mind of its own. I wanted to wait for Takkun, but my body wouldn't listen. I took the cigarette out of my mouth and threw it on the grass, not bothering to put it out. Hopefully, it would burn the place down.

Quickly, I took my camera out and took a picture of the still lit cigarette lying on the floor.

….

I take pictures...I take pictures of things I really want.


	6. Equal share turmoil

The trio walked in silence. None of them knew what to say. Though each desperately wanted to break the horrible silence that had befallen them, Haruko walked in front, Mamimi in the middle, and Naota followed at the rear - a dazed and confused look on his face. There was no one in the streets, no noise to be heard from any of the houses that they passed, in fact there was no noise at all. Nothing. Not even the sound of cats purring or dogs barking. It was almost as if the city had died. The smoke added to this illusion.

In fact, the only thing that looked "alive" or gave the illusion it held any semblance of life that night was the Medical Mechanica factory. The ironic twist to this was the fact that it had been deemed "dead" for years by the people of Mabase. When the smoke stopped pouring out of the iron-shaped factory for good, one day - everyone just forgot about it and continued their daily routine. It was considered a relic of the past, and relics of the past have no place in a town like Mabase. They didn't even bother demolishing it; they just forgot it existed in the first place.

The buzzing noise coming from the factory could be heard everywhere in the city. In every home, in every sewer, in every crevice of Mabase it rang loud. It was still going strong even after the smoke had stopped pouring out of the iron. Only Haruko Haruhara and Samejima Mamimi seemed unaffected by it.

Naota, on the other hand, felt like it was drilling right through his ear canals and straight into his brain; leaving his brain with a few new holes in the process. His situation wasn't helping this feeling either. He felt torn in two, a silent battle raging inside of him. One part of him just wanted to be glad Haruko was back…while another part of him desperately wanted answers. The latter part won out, totally annihilating the opposition in the process.

It was decided…

He needed to talk with Haruko; he needed to know why she left them there alone, even when she must've known that he wanted to go with her; he needed to know why she had chosen now to come back, and, he thought, I need to know why she doesn't love me.

He knew that now was the time to do it. He was going to make her answer and he wasn't going to let her change the subject or ignore him.

"Hey, ex-housekeeper, look at me! Hey, alien temptress! Hey, woman who broke my heart! Hey, Haruko, I'm talking to you!" Naota yelled, hatred dripping from every word with a hint of love, guilt, and desperation added in for good measure. These words caused Haruko to stop, but she did not turn around to face him. Twice now, Naota thought, twice now I've made her stop but she won't turn around and face me!

Mamimi kept walking, seemingly unaffected by Naota's words. While in truth, she was trying to ignore what was going on behind her now. She couldn't bear to listen to it, she knew what was going to happen, and she didn't want to be there when it did, so she kept walking, leaving Naota and Haruko behind; lighting a cigarette as she did so.

…

"Haruko, talk to me, damn it!" Naota was screaming now, he needed answers.

She wouldn't turn around, she just stood there. As if she was made of stone. She stood there, feet planted on the ground, breathing heavily. Drops of salt water moistening the ground beneath her.

She turned around, any trace of the tears that littered the soil under her gone from her face, and she said, "Did you really think I loved you, Takkun? Did you really think my offer to take you with me had any real meaning, kid? Yours was the only head that worked. I wanted Atomks' power, and you could give it to me - simple as that. " She regained her composure and started walking again. Leaving Naota there standing alone in his thoughts for the second - and most certainly not the last - time.

Even when Haruko was out of view, Naota still stood there, awestruck. It was all a lie – everything that he had experienced during those months that Haruko was his housekeeper was all a lie. He had swung the bat for nothing.

The things Amarao had told him about "Raharu" had been true after all. She was just a heartless bitch who was only using him to get what she wanted. She had twisted his view of what love was, that's why he was never able to go out with Ninamori. That's why he never moved on. He gave a cry and started to laugh uncontrollably - his eyes tearing and his heart shattering as he did so.

_Shift._

I stayed there laughing for a while, even after the buzzing from the Medical Mechanica plant had stopped - I laughed. I was laughing at how stupid I had been to not have moved on by now. It had been _years_ since she left. I could hear the shattered pieces of my heart rattling inside of me. My chest started to hurt and after a while I couldn't breathe anymore. I didn't stop laughing though, I just kept laughing right up until I passed out. My stupidity was just that funny.

There I lied, in the middle of the road for the rest of the night. By some odd miracle I didn't get turned into road kill over the night and was still in one piece when I woke up. I didn't know where I was but I knew I couldn't stay there. I got up and walked.

After a while I saw the hospital Haruko had dressed up as a nurse in. I walked passed it. Who cares about her?

I kept walking, then I heard a voice come from behind me, "Naota, hey wait up!"

It was Eri, but I didn't turn around and just stopped. This was the last thing I needed, I wanted to be alone. She kept calling out to me, but I didn't turn around. Couldn't she get the hint? I didn't want to talk to her right now; I didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Get the hint already! In my mind I was yelling for her to leave me alone, screaming at the top of my lungs for her to just pass me by. She didn't.

"Wow, Naota, you look dirty. All better now?" She pointed at her forehead. Yeah, I was all better now, but I had some other wounds that needed healing. I didn't think I would be going back to school this week.

We started walking together, she kept talking and I kept quiet. I kept trying to hint that I wanted to be alone. Every time she'd ask a question I'd just not answer, but instead of actually figuring out what I wanted her to figure out she just kept on talking. She was always stubborn like that.

We crossed the bridge in silence.

_myShift._

Why won't he open up to me? I've known Naota forever but he still doesn't trust me enough to tell me what's wrong. I can tell there's something troubling him, when you're around him as much as I am, you can tell. When you feel the way I do about him, you can tell. He's got this melancholy feel about him that I desperately want to bring him out of, but he won't let me.

WHY?

Ever since that dumb, pink haired girl – the wife – came back nothing's been the same. When I went to see him this morning his dad said that he wasn't there, and that he hadn't come home the night before. There had been a commotion in the background and I could see the wife sitting on the steps of the stairs smoking. The old guy, the robot, and another person were having a party or something in the kitchen.

I decided to ditch school that morning to go look for him. One or two missed periods were no big deal. After all, I wasn't class president anymore. I hadn't been class president since the time that thing came out of _my_ head. No one trusted me to be one and I knew it. So, I didn't bother to run anymore.

I couldn't stand it anymore, why was he completely ignoring me? He'd never done that before, not once since we've known each other has he ever just flat out ignored me. I stopped in front of him, I had to - otherwise he might just keep walking. I slapped him as hard as I could.

"What is wrong with you, Naota? Tell me!"

_Shift._

"Haruko's back."

I just kept walking, leaving her to comprehend what I just told her.

…

This town has never felt more like a prison than it does now. The hand may be gone but I can still feel it looming over the iron, ready to grab it once again and put us all out of our misery. The smoke is covering our borders and I know there's no way out. What am I supposed to do?

* * *

**Author's notes: **I wanted to try something different. This story is more of an experiment for me than anything else. So…yeah. 


End file.
